9/12/17 – Post’s Race Scandal

Published Tuesday, September 12, 2017

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Every so often a media outlet becomes the story. And as painful as it is — they report on themselves.

Here’s what’s happening behind the headlines.

Award-winning salesman David DeJesus worked at the Washington Post for nearly two decades. According to court documents, he was abruptly fired in 2011 about the same time with 47 other older, black employees. They were replaced with “whiter and younger staff.”

Black employees filed affidavits claiming there was a discriminatory atmosphere at the paper targeting black employees and advertisers.

DeJesus was ordered rehired by an arbitrator because the Post couldn’t justify his dismissal. But he was again fired shortly thereafter.

He then filed a race and age discrimination lawsuit. A federal judge dismissed his suit. But an appeals court overturned that decision. The three-judge panel cast doubt on the paper’s defense and suggested DeJesus could win before a jury. The court had harsh words for the paper’s race climate.

The Washington Post has published hundreds of stories, columns and editorials on age and race discrimination since the lawsuit was filed four years ago. It didn’t publish one word on its own race scandal.